Comment 66337

A Super-Express bus starting at the Connaught, stopping at Gore Park, Jackson Square, and Queen Street then super Express to Mac would be a major step to getting students downtown.

Westdale was planned to be a single-family home area of the city. Downtown's are designed to be higher density, more "lively", and should attract single individuals.

Making downtown attractive to students will do more to correct housing problems in Westdale than any other measure the city can implement.

Winnipeg, where I attended first-year, operates super-express buses to the University of Manitoba (which is on the southern skirts of the city) from many regions of the city. There is no student ghetto because most students locate themselves in more affordable areas with super-express service.

The super-express operates inbound in the morning and outbound in the afternoon.

We had a huge opportunity to prove to students that downtown living was viable in 2008 when the Brandon Hall residence fire displaced hundreds of first-year students into downtown hotels.

Instead, we kept the same overcapacity bus service with no midday or evening express service. These students discovered that buses were just as likely to bypass you as they were to pick you up.

The lesson for these students - don't live anywhere that you need bus service to get to school.

We should've operated express buses for these students, added capacity, and held special events (such an outdoor movie night at City Hall or the AGH) to welcome them to the core.

In terms of LRT, we should be building McMaster to Downtown, Downtown to James St N GO Station first.